Page 42 of Trapped with her Cruel Duke

She let out a small cry of shock as he gripped her wrists in his hands and pinned them above her head, before he crushed his lips to hers and pressed his body against hers.

Louise let out a beautiful moan of surrender as she melted against him, going pliant and supple just as she had done before. Christian groaned, keeping one hand on her wrists as the other trailed down her body to grip her thigh.

He lifted her leg and thrust his hips forward, knowing from her shuddering cry that she could feel how much she was affecting him. He wanted to ruin her, consume her, and show the world that she belonged to him.

He thrust his hips forward again, his hand moving down her thigh and toward the sweet heat between her legs. But just as he did so, the promise he had made to her echoed in his mind like a warning. With a groan of frustration, he released her, slapping his palms against the wall and pushing himself off her.

He turned away and breathed deeply, trying to compose himself, ashamed that he had been moments from taking her against the wall.

What kind of man must she think me to be when I cannot even control myself or keep my promises?

“Christian?”

“You should leave,” he snapped, straightening his clothes, his breeches painfully tight against his groin.

“Wh-What?”

He whirled around and closed the space between them once again. There were fading red marks around her wrists and a fire in her eyes.

“If you do not leave this room this instant,” he gritted out, “I will not be able to keep my word. I will take you just as I want you—right here, right now—and the whole club will know what we have been doing.” He sucked in a sharp breath, inhaling her scent and closing his eyes against the need raging inside him. He wrenched himself away from her. “I will escort you out.”

CHAPTER 17

Louise followed Christian out of the club in silence.

She noticed that there were far fewer stares this time, with her husband by her side. The members seemed to recognize that they could not misbehave or be quite so rude in his presence.

They will simply talk about me behind my back as they did before.

She smoothed her hand over her hair as they walked, ensuring that it was not disheveled, a dark heat burning beneath her skin. She had never felt so desperate for another person before. His touch set her skin on fire in a thousand new ways she had never expected.

She had rarely witnessed desire between a woman and a man. Her mother and father were demure and private in one another’s company, and over the years, her father had become scathingand cruel. She tried hard to think of a time when they had displayed some form of affection, but she came up empty.

If Christian had not stopped, I am not sure I would have either.

The knowledge was alarming. Louise had always been proud of her self-control and her steely command of her faculties. There had been many instances since the incident with Lord Fortescue where she had held her tongue in the face of biting remarks about her character.

But when it came tolust, all decorum seemed to evaporate. It was almost as though Christian was making her reckless.

She glared at his back, remembering the heat of his body against her, the vicious pleasure she had felt when he pressed her against the wall and pushed his tongue into her mouth.

She cleared her throat, glancing around as though the truth of their time together was written all over her face.

They emerged into the foyer, where the faithful Jarvis was standing as though he had been waiting for them.

“My carriage, please, Jarvis,” Christian ordered briskly.

“Already waiting for you, Your Grace,” Jarvis murmured.

Christian nodded, before turning to Louise. He looked untouchable, cold, and authoritative once more.

“I cannot leave right now,” he said. “I have some business to attend to.”

He glanced behind her at the door they had just come through and shifted his weight from foot to foot.

“Was this the associate you were meeting with?” she asked, unable to mask her curiosity.

Christian raised his eyebrows, but instead of dismissing her question as she had expected, he took a small step toward her.

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